Caledonia

Album: Caledonia (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Caledonia was originally the name given by the Romans to the north of Great Britain. It contemporary usage is as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland. The song was written and originally performed by the Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie McLean.
  • No version of "Caledonia" has so far charted in the UK Top 40, however the more popular version in Scotland, which is still heard regularly on Scottish radio, is performed by the Scottish rock singer, Frankie Miller.
  • Artists who have covered "Caledonia" include the aforementioned Frankie Miller and the Scottish singers Amy Macdonald, Paulo Nuttini and "X Factor" winner Leon Jackson, who told the Daily Record October 10, 2008 about this song: "Every line tells the story of my journey. Lyrics like: 'Proved the points that I needed proving/Lost the friends that I needed losing/Found others on the way'. My best mate is a new mate, Andy Williams who was on X Factor and is now my flatmate down in London. Living there now I feel more Scottish, more patriotic because I miss Scotland so much. Everytime I come back I take a huge lungful of fresh air and just stand there looking at the scenery. It's my message to my family and my mates in Scotland that I'm thinking of them. Everytime they play it they'll know I'm thinking of them. I brought this song to the table. I said how I wanted it to be produced. I'm really proud of it."
  • In 2009 the song was featured on a television campaign by VisitScotland to mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth and the Scottish government's 2009 Homecoming Scotland campaign.

Comments: 1

  • Lalah from Wasilla, AkWhen I went to Scotland for a holiday, I spent one enjoyable evening in an Edinburgh pub. We sang all the traditional Scottish songs then some American (think Dean Martin-That's Amore) but when the pub closed we all swayed, arm in arm, singing this song. Everyone knew the words and sung with heart.
    Dougie tours North America yearly and if he comes to your town go see him. This song is a small sample of his vast lyrical talent. I've been following his career since his fiddling was part of the soundtrack in the movie "Last of the Mohicans" (1992).
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Tim McIlrath of Rise Against

Tim McIlrath of Rise AgainstSongwriter Interviews

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath explains the meanings behind some of their biggest songs and names the sci-fi books that have influenced him.

George Clinton

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.